News

11:58 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo might be competitors on rival conferences, but they share the same sentiments regarding the league’s plans to hold an All-Star Game in March in Atlanta. Fresh off a 33-point, 12-rebound performance in Milwaukee’s 123-105 win at Cleveland on Friday night, Antetokounmpo backed James’ position on

7:49 PM ET For the first time in his 13-year career, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant came off the bench, checking in at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. Durant was not available to start due to health and safety protocols, the team announced shortly before tipoff. Durant

9:27 PM ET The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association will have a finalized agreement for an All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta by next week, according to a league memo shared with teams and obtained by ESPN. The single-night event will encompass the Eastern Conference-Western Conference game as well as the skills

3:10 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s most high-profile star, LeBron James, eviscerated the league’s plans to hold an All-Star Game in Atlanta in March while COVID-19 restrictions continue to have a grip on the regular season. “I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” James said after the

4:41 PM ET Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox evidently does not support the NBA having an All-Star Game this season, saying “it’s stupid” for the league to hold the event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources told ESPN earlier this week that the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association were working toward an agreement for

6:58 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN When more than 90 players who signed as free agents become eligible to be traded Saturday, it will mark the unofficial start of trade season in the NBA. Several big names have already been traded since mid-November, including James Harden, Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Chris Paul and Jrue

12:12 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN For New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy, what he saw from Zion Williamson on Wednesday night was unlike anything he’d seen from the 20-year-old so far this season. “I told Zion at the end of the game that it was by far his best game of the year if

6:13 PM ET USA Basketball is in the planning stages of creating a pre-Olympic bubble in Las Vegas for Team USA, Australia and Spain to train and play exhibition games against one another before leaving for Tokyo, managing director Jerry Colangelo told ESPN. With NBA players expected to make up the core of all three

12:28 AM ET Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did their best to go blow for blow with the Brooklyn Nets‘ Big Three. But during the Nets’ 124-120 win over the LA Clippers in a game that lived up to the pre-game hype, the Clippers star duo could not keep up with Kevin Durant, James Harden

9:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Fred VanVleet set a Toronto Raptors franchise record and a record for undrafted players by scoring 54 points in Toronto’s 123-108 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. “It was just time. … It’s just time,” VanVleet told SportstNet in Toronto after the game. “I’ve been missing a lot

4:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN As the NBA continues to tighten its health and safety protocols to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the league will begin requiring players to wear K95 or KNF94 masks in all instances where required, sources told ESPN. The policy will go into effect sometime in the next week, sources said,

10:19 AM ET The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are progressing toward an agreement for an All-Star Game on March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, a single-night event that encompasses a game between the Eastern and Western Conferences and skills competitions, sources told ESPN. While a formal agreement has yet to

12:50 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard D.J. Augustin hasn’t been around the organization long. Neither has guard Bryn Forbes. Nevertheless, after suffering back-to-back losses on Friday and Saturday in New Orleans and Charlotte to fall to 11-8, it didn’t take them long to learn what is accepted and what’s not. Losing is not.

6:57 PM ET Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman will be out at least a week after suffering a sprained left wrist in Saturday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons. Wiseman will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days, the Warriors announced Monday. Wiseman has flashed the potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in

7:01 AM ET The month of January ended in style in the NBA. On Sunday, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook each played hero in a wild, game-ending sequence that saw the Washington Wizards use an 8-0 run in the final 12 seconds to stun the Brooklyn Nets. On Saturday night in Chicago, Damian Lillard and

12:10 AM ET Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal rattled off a quick six points in a stunning 3.8-second sequence that propelled the Washington Wizards to a 149-146 comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. “At this time, we don’t have nothing to lose,” Westbrook said. “It’s win or go home.” The Wizards, down

6:49 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Nikola Jokic matched his career high with 47 points and the fast-starting Denver Nuggets beat Utah 128-117 on Sunday to end the Jazz’s winning streak at 11. Jokic was 17 for 26 from the field, hit all four of his 3-point attempts, made 9 of 10 free throws

12:46 AM ET ESPN News Services Heat guard Tyler Herro revealed after Miami’s 105-104 win over Sacramento on Saturday that he learned a housemate has tested positive for COVID-19 He said he got that news at halftime and was uncertain if he will have to quarantine because of possible exposure. His revelation came on the

2:01 AM ET The latest chapter in the storied Los Angeles Lakers–Boston Celtics rivalry featured plenty of starpower in LeBron James and Anthony Davis on one side versus Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the other. However, the visiting Lakers held on to win 96-95 on Saturday thanks in large part to a hustle play

4:40 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — De’Andre Hunter, who has emerged as the Atlanta Hawks‘ second-leading scorer in his second season, will miss at least one game with a knee injury. The Hawks said Saturday that Hunter will not play in Monday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Hunter had a non-surgical procedure

7:16 PM ET NBA Insiders The NBA season is nearly a quarter complete and the contenders for the league’s top awards are coming into focus. Will LeBron James be able to add a fifth MVP award to his trophy room? Or, can a center win the MVP for the first time in over two decades?

1:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is no stranger to trade rumors. He spent an entire season with the Los Angeles Lakers hearing about how he could possibly get dealt before ultimately landing with the Pelicans in the summer of 2019. But as Ball tried to

7:07 AM ET THE BALL BOY, too young to tie his sneakers, made quite the impression on Goran Dragic. The kid was the son of a veteran player on Geoplin Slovan, an Adriatic League first-division club where Dragic began his professional career. The boy, 5 years old when he first met Dragic, always had a

9:52 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell refused to remain silent on social justice issues off the court, becoming a go-to guy in NBA circles. His commitment to advance social justice coupled with his passion for education earned him the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award. The award honors Mitchell’s efforts between

1:42 AM ET Mark the calendar: It was nine days into a seven-game road trip before the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers showed any sign of being vulnerable this season, in Thursday’s 107-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons. L.A. mustered just 34 points in the second half — the fewest the Lakers have scored in

3:40 PM ET Anthony Davis will sit out Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons with a bruised right quad, the team announced. Davis was asked about his right leg, which he seemed to be favoring in Wednesday’s 107-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and downplayed any discomfort he was experiencing. “I had a little brush

12:28 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he believed Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James should’ve been assessed a level two flagrant foul and been ejected from Philadelphia’s 107-106 victory over the defending champions Wednesday night. “Well, first of all, I mean you look at it, that’s a very dangerous play,”

12:19 AM ET With the Los Angeles Lakers already down double-digits late in the first quarter on Wednesday, LeBron James put his head down and drove to the cup, looking to salvage a smidgen of momentum heading into the quarter break. Awaiting him at the rim was the Philadelphia 76ers’ hulking Joel Embiid, who swatted

6:59 AM ET In the 1980s, Michael Jordan launched a stylistic revolution in pro basketball. While not the first great wing player in the sport, Jordan was the first one to absolutely dominate the association. His epic battles versus the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz weren’t just battles for the

12:54 AM ET John Wall and Russell Westbrook, the pair of point guards with maximum salaries swapped for each other just before training camps opened, stood near the free throw line midway through the fourth quarter and barked at each other Tuesday night at the Toyota Center. Wall, who readily acknowledged that his adrenaline was